The Correct Crest-Badge of MacDowall Clansmen Today THE CLAN OF THE MACDOWALLS OF GALLOWAY MacDowal Tartan Galloway District Tartan (A New Tartan) (Also Worn By MacDowalls) The Clan MacDougall Society of North America Representing Clan MacDowall and Clan MacDougall Invites You to Visit Our Website At www.macdougall.org Prof. Fergus Macdowall of Garthland Chief of the MacDowalls Personal Coat of Arms of Chief of the MacDowalls, Drawn by The Correct Crest-Badge of Prof. Walter M. Macdougall MacDowall Clansmen Today The Clan of the MacDowalls of Galloway CHIEF Prof. Fergus Day Hort Macdowall is currently Chief of the Name and Arms of MacDowall, feudal baron of Garthland and next heir-male of Prince Fergus Lord of Galloway. Prince Fergus was the grandfather- in-law of King Somerled of Argyll and the Isles the patriarch of the MacDougalls of Argyll et al. who were not otherwise intermarried with MacDowalls. Professor Macdowall is an Honorary President of the Clan MacDougall Society of North America which has a strong membership of MacDowalls (however spelt) who are recognized as a clan by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. BRANCHES AND EXTENDED NAMES The Family name was derived as “Macdougall” from Prince Fergus’ grandson, Duegald, second son of Uchtred Lord of Galloway and who was killed (1185) while fighting on the side of his brother Roland in a feudal reconquest of Galloway. The Galloway name of “Macdougall” was transliterated to “Macdowyl” in July 1292 under Edward I of England and Macdowall has persisted over the eight centuries since with many (about 76) variations. The early armigerous baronial stock of the MacDowall Family on surviving records starts from the Macdougalls of Garochloyne with Lougan-Elrig and continues through a century to the Macdowylls / Macdowalls of these lands and also of Garthland. McDoualls of Logan and Macdowalls of Freugh then appear separately, but Macdowall or Macdougal of Makerstoun preceded Garthland in Makerstoun inheritance. Those of Machrimore (Machermore) developed later but soon lost touch. Younger sons who formed cadet lines or stirps from these families inherited or were granted or purchased lands, often castellated. Those stirps from Garthland on record included Elrig, Spotts, Barjarg, Kildonand, Inch, Mindork, Myroch, Knockglass, Dalreagle, Lefnall, Corochtrie, Killaser, Crockuncrush, Castlesemple, Kirriebroom, Woolmet, Walkinshaw and Arndilly. Each contained tenant farms and lands. Scions of Logan included Ardwell, Ringseat and Culgroat; and those of Freugh had Longcastle, Hackburn, and Stratford Hall. A sequence of Swedish baronies stemmed from the family in Makerstoun. 2 A number of Macdowalls chiefly of Garthland origin settled in Ireland as McDowells, and thence abroad to North American colonies. Others of Freugh emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand & Australia, and Makerstoun is represented also in Europe. Most kindred of the extended family today are McDowells in the U.S.A. largely as a result of the Irish emigrations before and during the Irish potato famine of the 1840’s. After Duegald’s time his family were called the Macdougalls in Galloway. They have no proven relation to the MacDougalls of Argyll though their shared original Gaelic name of “MacDougall” meaning “son of the black stranger” suggests that both have a Norse heritage. In 1292 on the Ragman Roll the name of Macdougall in Galloway was modified to distinguish it from those in Argyll when letters “ug” were changed to "w" (i.e:”uu” pronounced “oo”) in a Norman transliteration introduced under King Edward I of England. In later centuries the spellings of Macdowall with a capital “D” and the letter "e" as in “McDowell” became common especially after some emigrated from Galloway across to Ireland during Plantations of Ulster in the early 1600’s, and then later to North America, including many during the Irish potato famine of the 1840’s. As a result most members of the family now live in the United States where this spelling of our name is commonly found. Nowadays the names and spellings with or without the Mac, Mc, or M’ prefix within the Macdowall Kindred include many spelling variations of the surname including McDowell, MacDowel, Macdowal, MacDowyl, McDuyl, Macdoual, McDouall, M’Douall, MacDool, McDoll, Makdougal, Macdougall (the original ancient name of the MacDowalls) etc. Other names within the MacDowalls include Dowall, Dugal, Dugle, Duwall, Duvall, M’Gowall, Wall, Wahl, etc. and also Doyle, and O’Dowill. The Britonic Kyles with Coull, McCoul, Coyle, Cole, and Dole are accepted territorially. However these and many other variant name spellings are all considered part of the Kindred of MacDowall. HISTORY History indicates that Gille, the native Dalriadic Governor of the Western Isles under Norse suzerainty about the year 1000, was the great grandfather in the male line of Fergus Lord of Galloway. Gille was also the ancestor on the distaff line of the Norse king Somerled of Argyll the father of Dougall the patronymic ancestor of the MacDougalls of Argyll. Fergus of Galloway (1096-1169) was placed in training in the feudal court of England for the purpose of replacing the competing clan system of governance then in use for Gaels in southwestern Scotland. Implicit in this was the use of only the territorial name “de Gallouyia”, Galloway. In this context, however, he could have used the surname “MacGille”, and even the surname “MacDubh Gall” the “dark stranger” name which had been applied to the first Gaels under Norse influence settled on the Galloway coast. About 1124 Fergus married Elizabeth, a daughter of HENRY I of England and he assumed the powerful Lordship of Galloway ruling a land coveted by both Scotland and England. "Prince" Fergus was made the first feudal Lord of Galloway under King David I of Scotland. Their elder son Uchtred became the second feudal Lord of Galloway. It was Uchtred’s second son Duegald (k. 1185) after whom the cadet branch of the House of ancient Galloway was patronymically written as Macdougall until 1292-6, after which time it appeared as “Macdowall” and was pronounced “Macdouall”. In 1987, however, the Chief designated the spelling of the clan name as “Clan MacDowall” in honour of the style most clansmen today. 3 In the change of spelling of 1292 Duegald’s lineal successor Dougal Macdougall of Gairachloyne and his younger brother Fergus affixed their seals to the “Ragman Roll” of fealty to their fifth cousin King Edward I of England, who later knighted Dougal, and their names were inscribed on the Roll as Macdowyl and Macdowald. In 1295 Dougal was granted a confirmatory charter to the lands of Gairachloyne / Garochloyne, Lougan / Logan and Eldrig / Elrig by his Baliol / Balliol fourth cousin King John I as Lord of Galloway. This Sir Dougal and his heirs of two more generations led the defending forces of Galloway in the name of the Baliol Crown of Scotland for fifty years after King Robert I (Bruce) invaded Galloway in 1306. They were, however, comrades in battle and English captivity with King Robert I’s heir king David II in 1347. Sir Dougal’s fourth grandson, Sir Fergus Macdowell of Makerstoun and of Garthland, also fought, was wounded, captured and ransomed in 1402 at the battle of Homildon Hill. In 1414 he helped his nephew Thomas Macdowall, the previous Chief’s son and heir to receive a charter renewing to him the family’s old feudal baronies of Garochloyne, and Logan-Elrig, with Garthland as well. Original family archives were taken by EDWARD I of England, others were destroyed by ROBERT I and Edward Bruce, and everything left was eliminated by Sir Archibald Douglas as successive new Lords of Galloway. Further losses of records occurred in the burning of Balzieland Tower of Patrick M'Douall of Logan in 1500, the pillage of Freugh in 1679 and in the fire at Preston Hall destroying Garthland records in 1686. Cognate sources, however, have helped to sketch the lineages with some highlights. Uchtred Macdowall of Garthland and his heir Thomas, together with Charles McDouall of Logan, Gilbert Macdowall of Freugh and most male relations, were killed with JAMES IV of Scotland at the battle of Flodden in 1513. John Macdowall of Garthland and Corswall and Fergus McDouall of Freugh were killed at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. The widely reputed Chief Uchtred Macdowall of Garthland and Uchtred the younger, defended cadet stirps in a feud with cousins, the Gordons of Lochinvar, and they were drawn into the Gowrie conspiracy of 1582 against JAMES VI who later made warrant to delete their summons. The younger Uchtred then married Janet Gordon of Lochinvar and in 1598 he besieged the Kennedy Earl of Cassilis to obtain legal terms on feud properties the Earl had claimed by force of arms. In 1613 Sir John Macdowall of Garthland was in the court of JAMES VI and petitioned for the restoration of the Lordship of Galloway that had been dormant in the Crown since the Douglas attainder in 1455. It was then achieved by his first cousin, Sir Alexander Stewart Lord Garlies as Earl of Galloway. Sir John's son Sir James, a Commissioner of the Estates and an M.P. in 1644, raised men to suppress the Irish rebellion as did Alexander McDouall of Logan and Uchtred McDouall of Freugh and he took a force of the Scots army to relieve CHARLES I outside Newark where he was knighted in 1647. John McDouall of Freugh was a high Royalist in support of CHARLES I and escaped from capture but his house "Balgreggan" and his fortalice "Castle MacDougall" were burnt with their records. His grandson Patrick McDouall lost the Barony to John Graham of Claverhouse ("Bonnie Dundee") under protest to his martial law, but it was recovered by his son Patrick with a charter to the "Barony of McDougall alias Freugh" in 1707.